Once upon a time, a businesses sole content strategy started and ended with the dependable blog. The strategy was simple: bring people to your website. But today, with more users, businesses and content than ever, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd, let alone be found.
Blogs with links and SEO keywords are all well and good if you already have a core audience. But for many SMBs competing against the big dogs, or rising stars, it’s a constant struggle to keep their name in the forefront. The rise of multichannel marketing has paved the way for marketers to expand beyond their website alone, and tap direct and indirect platforms to connect with more customers. And savvy business owners are starting to see the potential.
Seventy-two percent of adult internet users are on Facebook, and 70% of them log in daily. Myriad stats like these are the reasons why more small businesses are decentralising their content strategy to shift the conversation away from their website and blog, and go where there audience actually is: scattered throughout social media. Tap these three tips to use social to decentralise your content strategy.
Choose the right platforms
B2C: Go where your audience is. Facebook is a key platform for content seekers, and should be tapped by B2C businesses. Eighty-two percent of its traffic clicks-through to read longer stories and visit a company’s website. Content consumption via social media continues to grow, as 76% of users use Facebook to discover interesting content to consume and share.
B2B: B2B businesses tend to utilise LinkedIn to make professional connections and create a dialogue. After all, creating followers and generating interest isn’t about providing a link to your blog. It’s about engaging people, challenging people, and showing them why you are someone who they should know and care about.
There’s no hard, fast rule for which platforms individual businesses should utilise. Determine where your targets frequent, and join them there.
Create the right content
Content really is king, but it’s only relevant if you actually get it in front of your audience. With every message you put out, focus on creating shareable content. With the ever-decreasing attention spans, now timed at 8 seconds, top audience-approved content contenders are videos, images, audios and short-form copy. And the stats are promising. Video viewership has gone up 50% in the last year, with 6 billion hours watched every month around the globe—and 100 million hours on Facebook. Businesses that post images with their written content see 650% more engagement than text alone.
Short-form content is quick, bite-size and shareable. And it has the potential to bring them to your website for more. Remember, people want to share cool, trending and viral content with their friends, a fact which will be your key to expanding your audience.
Focus on quality
Quality is always in fashion, and in demand. Your audience will see right through feeble attempts to grab their attention. Instead, be relevant by sharing content that informs, inspires, educates, or entertains. This is at the core of what every customer wants—in addition to being seen among their peers as a savvy content-sharer. People want to stand out. Let your content enable them to do so, even as it does the same for you.
The digital shift requires you to redefine your understanding of marketing and audience expectations. But as you tune in to what they are looking for and engage them in their natural habitats, you’ll simultaneously redefine your ROI. Click here to learn more about how to grow your business through smarter marketing.